American Ballet Theatre’s opening night was the usual gala circus, but that’s the fun of it. Attended by a glittery crowd that included Bebe Neuwirth, Wendy Williams and skater Johnny Weir, the company put on a flashy evening Monday of short numbers that included coming attractions, and showpieces with all the subtlety of a trained-seal act.

The most entertaining numbers, unfortunately, were one-offs you won’t see again this season. “Don Quixote” is so filled with tricks, the dancers might as well juggle. Xiomara Reyes appeared with a fan she snapped open as she whipped through double turns and then threw offstage. — trashy, in a good way.

Daniil Simkin has performed “Les Bourgeois” to Jacques Brel many times, and he’s not only amped up the tricks, but refined the comic timing. He spun around 1 1/2 times in a flying kick — twice in a row — after stopping to fish an imaginary match from his pocket.

The coming attractions weren’t as showy, but David Hallberg sailed around the stage with long, gazelle-like legs in “La Bayadère.” His partner, Polina Semionova, stopped from a turn, lifting her leg softly into the air.

Diana Vishneva and Marcelo Gomes didn’t look like teenagers in “Romeo and Juliet,” but that made them more passionate. Her outsize emotions filled the opera house; he circled the stage in precise turning jumps, then stopped and smiled because he did it all for her.

Yet several of the dancers looked off form. Gillian Murphy hunched her shoulders, more vulture than “Black Swan.” Julie Kent’s dancing in “Onegin” was intelligent, but tentative. Alina Cojocaru was miscast as the fallen woman Manon, striking no sparks with retiring principal dancer Angel Corella.

No matter. Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev are a whole traveling circus by themselves. Osipova did a series of turns and complicated jumps that male dancers would envy. It wasn’t pretty, but it was hard. And even after slipping, Vasiliev recovered with turning jumps so unique, they don’t have names.

With the gala over, the company is now settling into a run of one of its best productions, “Giselle,” well-worth checking out. The circus is fun, but it’s nice to see a ballet company again.